My Gang Tattoos
by rosalouise23
Summary: Is everybody right about the about the American Slytherin student with the gang tattoos? Brianna is an American exchange students from one of the poorest neighborhoods on Chicago's South Side. Timothy has lived in both America and England is from a rich family. What happens when they meet? Will it be more of the same feud between Slytherin and Gryffindor?
1. Chapter 1

I guess I was never a "normal" Hogwarts student. For one I wasn't British. I was from the South Side of Chicago. MACUSA and the British Ministry of Magic had an arrangement for kind of a student exchange program. One of their students would go to Ilvermony and one kid from here would go to Hogwarts. The only requirement is that the students had to be from poor families with little to no financial means to pay for anything. Our government did a kind of lottery to choose who would go to Hogwarts and I got picked. Every year a MACUSA official would come to my house and we would Apparate onto Platform 9 ¾ . I would then make the normal trip by the Hogwarts Express. I had to stay at Hogwarts during the holidays but my mom was constantly sending me letters and pictures of my siblings. All, of my schoolbooks and everything were paid for by MACUSA and I was given a stipend because I was going to school so far away from home. I was a Muggle-born, the only one in my family who had shown any magical ability. I assumed that my dad wasn't a wizard but I didn't know. He was barely around when I was growing up so my mom raised me, my older brother, and my younger twin brother and sister, all by herself. Even though I had just turned eleven I had already gotten gang tattoos. Every time I came home I would run with my old gang, maybe get another tattoo, but it just wasn't my thing anymore. I guess my gang tattoos confirmed everything everybody thought about me, I was an 'uncivilized' American who had been sorted into Slytherin for the right reasons. But there was one inconsistency in what they thought. They could imagine a Slytherin American gangbanger being a guy but I was a girl. People thought I should be different, girly even. All I was interested was getting good grades so I could get a good job and help make a better life for my family. I was a sixth year now, I had turned 16 last spring. When my O.W.L. scores had come in it had shown that I had gotten Outstandings in Wizarding Literature, Defense Against the Dark Arts, and Potions, and Exceed Expectations in everything else. I was taking a full course load but had no extracurriculars.

This year was a little different than previous years. Just like other years when we got to the platform I pulled my trunk to a compartment at the end of the train. I pulled my robes and money bag out of my trunk and then pushed my trunk into one of the luggage racks. I shut the compartment door and flopped down into the seat next to the window. When other students passed by and looked like they wanted to come in I shot them a venomous and moved to show them a better view of my tattoos. All of a sudden a boy who looked about my age with a Gryffindor emblem on his trunk completely ignored what I was doing and tossed his trunk up into the luggage rack. He flopped down into the seat across from me.

"What the heck are you doing?" I asked harshly (I only cuss when hanging around with my friends).

"I wanted to. You don't seem like you have that many friends." he answered with none of the same venom.

"How would you know?" I fired back with even more venom.

He laughed as he responded, "I've been in your classes for the last five years. I passed you in the halls. I was in the library when you were studying."

I crossed my legs up on the seat and when I replied with more curiosity and amusement than venom, "You've been watching me?"

"Yeah, you're interesting. Everybody thinks that you are just some punk-ass kid but I can see that you are really dedicated to your schooling. Every moment you're not in class you're in the library studying."

I was speechless for just a minute and then tried to respond, " You've really been paying attention to me haven't you? I'm sorry but I don't really notice my classmates, what's your name again?"

He held out his hand to me, "Timothy Julian,Gryffindor fifth year."


	2. Chapter 2

2.

The first thing out of my mouth was, "Do I have to call you Timothy?" He laughed. "No. I hate the name. Just call me Tim which is just slightly better. How about you, what should I call you?" "My full name is Briana but just call me Bri. Why would you, a Gryffindor, be talking to me, a Slytherin outcast?" "Maybe I just hate all of the Gryffindors my age and you seem interesting." "I doubt that I would be more interesting than them." "Trust me you are. All they talk about is Quidditch and places they go in the castle to hook up. All that matters to me is getting good N.E.W.T.s." Just then the trolley witch passed by. I pulled money out and bought some cauldron cakes and chocolate frogs. Tim bought pumpkin pasties and chocolate frogs. I hadn't realized how short the first part of the train ride had seemed. Normally, the train ride seemed to take forever but this one was flying by. We settled back into our seats. I asked the question that had bugging me since he had started talking, "Your accent sounds more American than British. Why is that?" He laughed and shook his head, "My family moved to the United States when I was just over a year old and stayed there until right after my tenth birthday mostly so that I could go to Hogwarts. My dad's parents are dead so for all holidays my parents go to the US so I stay here. We also spend half of the summer out there. Now that I've told you about me how about you tell me about you?" "Well I live in one of the worst neighborhoods on the South Side of Chicago. My mom basically raised me and my siblings by herself. I stay at Hogwarts during the holidays and only get to go home over the summer." Most people when they heard my story apologized for how hard my life was or asked if I had shot anyone which was what made the question he asked next so strange. "What are your siblings names?" I looked at him quizzically and he looked back. "Has the first question not ever been that?" I think the look I was giving him told all. "Oh. Is that something I'm not supposed to ask?" I smiled and shook my head a little bit, "No one ever asks me that which makes it odd but kind of nice. My older brother is Austin and my younger twin siblings are Luke and Amanda. What about you? Do you have any siblings?" "I wish. I'm an only child which made for a fairly lonely childhood." I glanced out the window and realized it was starting to get dark and we were getting close to Hogwarts. I poked him with my boot toe, "We need to get into our robes. We're almost to the castle." He reached up into his trunk to get his robes and we both pulled them on. It was weird to see the scarlet and gold right next to the emerald and silver.

When the train finally screeched to a stop I got off the train and headed toward the carriages. Tim walked next to me and we were able to get a carriage all to ourselves. I could hear Hagrid, "First-years over here! Watch yourself! First-years! Over here please!" I smiled a little bit to myself. Hagrid had helped me through a lot of stuff over the past years. He understood what it meant to be an outcast. If I wanted to get out of the library to study I most of the time would go to his hut. Tim yelled, "Duck!" and placed his hand on my back forcing me down. All of a sudden a firework wizzed right over us. We both leaned up and looked at each other saying at the exact same time, "Peeves." It was Peeves' tradition to set off fireworks on the day we all got to school in both honor of the fireworks show the Weasley twins set off when they left Hogwarts and in honor of Fred Weasley who died in the Battle of Hogwarts. The administration couldn't really control Peeves but this was one thing they weren't actively trying to stop. When we got to the castle we hurried inside before we had anymore close encounters with fireworks. Once inside the Great Hall we had to split and go to opposite sides of the hall to our respective house tables. He sat down first and placed himself on the side of the table that would let him see the Slytherin table. I sat down with my year at the Slytherin table so I could face the Gryffindor table. When I sat down everyone stopped talking and moved away from me. I ignored the movement and turned to face the front of the Great Hall as the doors opened and the first-years began to file in. The Sorting Ceremony had begun for this year. I remembered my own ceremony, everyone's eyes had been wide when my robe sleeves had slid up to show the few tattoos that I had then. My shoulder-length brown hair had streaks of pink in it at the time (it had green streaks in it now and it was waist long and normally in a ponytail or braid). I remember the fear of when the voice started talking to me. The best part about that though was when the Sorting Ceremony was over and the food appeared on the tables. We never went to bed without some sort of food but that didn't mean we went to bed not hungry. Mom would often give up her food so that we would have enough to eat so Austin and I would normally give up part of our meals to her so she would have at least something to eat. All of the food I could eat but the best part was the dish right in front of me. It was Chicago-style pan pizza which I loved but had only been able to have a few times before then. Most dinners it still showed up in front of me but I had come to love a lot of the more British food that the kitchen dished up. It was my tradition still though for the first and last suppers of the semester for me to have the pizza. By the time I came out of my memories the ceremony had ended and so had the Headmaster's speech. The food appeared on the table and I immediately reached for the pizza. I looked up and saw Tim motioning and mouthing words from the Gryffindor table. Over the last five years they had added the pizza to the rest of the Slytherin table and to the other tables. Tim was pointing to the pizza on the table on front of him and was mouthing, "Is it good?". I mouthed back, "Excellent". He reached eagerly for it and acted like he was moaning when he took his first bite. I laughed to myself and shook my head then reached for my own pizza. It was amazing, just like it always was. I was one of the few students who not just knew where the kitchens where but was friends with the house-elves who worked there. I would sometimes offer suggestions on how to not just make American dishes but how to make them better. Whenever I felt really homesick I would go down there and they would make me up something to remind me of home. Desserts showed up on the table and I think I ate about a dozen chocolate chip cookies. At the end of the Feast I got up and followed the other Slytherin students to the dungeons. I headed to the girls dorm and went to the room I shared with the other sixth-year girls. When I got in there the other four girls had already arrived. When I went to start unpacking they shot me scared glances like I was going to pull a gun out of trunk, the same glance they had shot me every arrival day for the last five, now six years, since I had come to Hogwarts. I chuckled a little, changed into my pajamas, and went to bed.


	3. Chapter 3

3.

I made my way up to the Great Hall the next morning, my robes swishing around my legs. Just as I reached the Entrance Hall Tim came bounding down the main staircase. He slung his arm around my shoulders as we made our way into the Great Hall. I started steering us over to my normal breakfast place at the end of the Slytherin table when Tim easily used his taller, more solidly built frame to steer us over to the Gryffindor table. He smiled a little, "You are sitting with my house today. Maybe getting away from the same old people will shake things up this year. You can also actually learn some of your classmate's names after five years. We can sit at the Slytherin table tomorrow if you want." "Okay. As long as I get muffins and my morning mail." "Done. How do you get your mail by the way?" he asked as we sat down. "An owl comes in the middle of the night to my house and my mom gives it letters. That owl goes back to New York City where it transfers the letters to a long-distance owl that makes the journey across the ocean here to give me my letters." I grabbed a large chocolate chip muffin out of the basket on the table. He grabbed eggs and bacon from serving dishes. Just then the owls flew in. I had a fat letter drop down onto my lap. Tim had a package almost drop down onto his plate but he was able to catch it before it made a mess. I ripped open the letter and unfolded pictures from Luke and Amanda. Mom had sent a long letter about everything that had gone on in the day since I had been gone and detailing everything I needed to remember for this year. Tim started laughing and I turned. "What is it?" He was still laughing when he tried to respond, "My parents are friends with the Weasleys and with no kids at home, Mrs. Weasley has a lot of time on her hands. So she knits and knits and knits," he reached into the box and pulled something out, "and she has knit me yet another blanket, this one being scarlet with a Gryffindor crest." I don't know why but all of a sudden I burst out laughing. He was still laughing when he tried to respond, "I have four blankets that she has made along with countless other things." I finally looked up and realized that all of the other students had scooted away from us and the first and second years were looking at us with wide scared eyes. For once though I didn't try to scare them even more. I finally had a friend after five years. Just the Professor Theodore(head of Slytherin and the Potions teacher) came by. He raised an eyebrow quizzically and took our schedules and waved his wand over them. When he handed them back to us we compared them. Tim was the first to read both of ours, "We have identical schedules! Hopefully now you will notice me in your classes. The only bad part is that we have a full schedule which means only two free periods. I think caffeine is going to be our new best friend!" I was kind of surprised about the last part. Most students here when they needed to stay up late they used spells or potions either they made or that they bought from the older students. It was comforting to talk about so _ordinary_. Tim dramatically looked around and leaned in close, "My mom figured out how to enchant soda cans and bottles so that they wouldn't fizz up when opened after being jostled around. I packed a 12-pack of diet soda in my trunk that she has enchanted. I can write home and she can send more and whatever type I want. I like using caffeine better than the spells or potions. All I get from those is roaring headaches and grogginess the next day." "That is amazing!I have been without a normal source of caffeine all of these years during the school year." "Well now you have one and you are going to need it to get through this year without keeling over from exhaustion. It is also getting close to class time and if we are going to get good seats in Defense against the Dark Arts we need to leave now." I slipped my bag over my head while slipping the letter and pictures into it as I stood up. With a second thought I grabbed a blueberry muffin out of the basket and Tim slipped his arm over my shoulders. We then left the Great Hall and climbed the stairs to the Defense Against the Dark Arts classroom. When we got in the room we sat down, sharing a desk at the very front of the room. We both pulled our books, parchment, and quills out of our bags and put them on the desk. Professor Kidron walked in and when he turned and looked at us he did a double take. "While I am not surprised that you two are the first ones here I am surprised that you are sitting together," he said his deep and gentle voice, "I didn't think Miss Alex here let people sit next to here in any class. It does mean that you might actually think with your partner and do group projects." "Maybe," I responded, leaning back a little. At that point the other six-years in the class came in. A couple of the other girls shot me dark looks and I didn't care or even respond. I was happy after five years of being an outcast and I didn't care what they thought about it.

After Defense Against the Dark Arts, Wizarding Literature, and Ancient Runes it was finally time for lunch. As we headed down the stairs I asked Tim where we should sit. "Since you sat with my house this morning, we'll sit with yours for lunch." Just then my stomach protested loudly about the delay in food. Tim laughed and added, "And it seems like we need to get there fast." When we sat down at the end of the Slytherin table the other kids there shot us wide eyed looks and scooted hurriedly down the table. I grabbed a meatball sub and Tim grabbed beef tacos from the platters on the table. I relished in the food that reminded me so much of home. The house-elves in the kitchen had been working for the last five years to make food I would like and had slowly added more American food to the tables. A lot of the students and the staff liked the change in pace and at the end of last year I suggested that the add more food from other countries to break up the normality even more.

Later that evening I was sprawled across my bed starting on my homework. Just then the other four girls walked into the dorm room and stood at the foot of my bed. I moved myself from my stomach to sitting upright, "What do you want Allison?" I asked. "Back off of Timothy. He deserves to be with a girl of pureblood and who has high standing in the wizarding community. You are a nobody and everybody knows that you are just trying to get to his family money. So do what I say and BACK OFF!" with a final shout Allison flounced out of the room with her posse behind her and slammed the door behind her. I was shocked. Had they really thought I was after Tim's money? After five years all I had wanted was a friend and now everyone hated me. Maybe that explained all of the dark looks I had gotten in classes all day. I wasn't going to let a pampered princess like Allison ruin the only friend I had. I went back to my studying.


	4. Chapter 4

4.

We were two months into school now. Between Tim and I we had had to write his mom five times already for more soda. I was doing well in my classes and often sent long nights in the library with Tim. I knew he had originally just been my friend but I could feel something different. If he left before I did I would keep thinking about him. When I left the library first I could feel his eyes following me. When we touched an electricity ran from where we touched through my body. A lot of the girls were still giving me dark looks but I was more focused on my school than pleasing them. I had seen some of the Gryffindor Quidditch team confronting Tim as we headed down to the Great Hall for dinner one day but he brushed it off and said they wanted him to do their homework for them. I knew it was more than that but I didn't push it. The first trip to Hogsmeade was Halloween and was planning on stocking up on plenty of Honeydukes candy. Tim snuck up behind me when I was studying in the library and held a halloween mask in front of my face. I jumped and parchment and quills went flying. Tim helped me clean them up. When we were seated again I got a little mad, "What was that for?" "I guess it was my lame way of trying to ask you out. Hogsmeade is doing this thing where on Halloween everyone dresses up in costume with masks. I was thinking we could go and maybe go to the Three Broomsticks on a date." I could barely speak, "Yeah, I'll go with you but I need to go make my costume." I gathered up my stuff and raced down to my dorm room. The trip to Hogsmeade was in two days and I needed a costume.

The morning dawned clear and bright. I ran to the Great Hall and grabbed a couple muffins and hurried back to my dorm room to get dressed. Soon I was heading up to the Entrance Hall. I called my costume 'The Lady of the Snake'. It was long-sleeved, floor-length dark green dress with an open back. Over the back was gold cord attached to a golden snake that went down the middle. A gold with emeralds necklace and earring set sparkled at my neck and ears. My hair was in a high bun with shorter curly pieces coming out of it around my face and neck. My shoes were gold colored and looked like they were made of snake scales. I had a mask that covered my eyes that looked like tiny snakes all over each other with emerald eyes. I had enchanted and made everything myself. Everyone turned and looked at me with wide eyes because of how I looked. When I arrived in the Great Hall I looked around for Tim. When I spotted him he was walking toward me in his pirate costume with his mouth wide open. "You look amazing!" I looked down at what I was wearing, "But this isn't really my style for going to Hogsmeade. However, I will wear this tonight to the feast." I wave my wand and my clothes changed. I now had a knee length skirt with a tulle petticoat under it and a striped shirt with ragged sleeves. My hair was now in long curls with a kerchief as a headband and I wore knee high boots. My mask was black with red sparkles. I looked at him with a mischievous grin. "A little too fancy for a trip to Hogsmeade but now you got to see what I am wearing to the Feast tonight. "You look amazing in both. Now shall we go on our merry way my lady?" he asked offering me his arm. "Of course," I said looping my arms through his and giggling. We headed out of the castle and in the edge of my vision I could see Allison and her gang giving me nasty looks in their skintight animal costumes.

We started out at Honeydukes where we both bought tons of candy and then we headed to Zonkos joke shop just to see what might not be banned at school. We then headed for our official date to the Three Broomsticks. It was packed but we were able to grab a table for two in the back corner. Tim waved me to sit down. "I'll go get us some Butterbeers." I watched his back as he threaded his way through the crowds of people toward the bar. He soon returned and I popped the top off of mine. We talked about classes and how we think we did on our latest tests. When we finished our drinks we headed out of Hogsmeade and back to the castle. All of a sudden Tim pulled me over to the side of the path and kissed me long and hard. When we separated, I looked up at him and slammed my lips into his again. When we finally broke apart, we placed our foreheads together. "I have been waiting to do that for a long time," he whispered. "I have been waiting for almost two months." I whispered with a sly smile. He chuckled, "This might have happened sooner if you had actually noticed anyone." I leaned back and laughed. He gave me a quick kiss and I slipped my hand into his. I pulled him to the castle, it was getting dark and they were planning to try something new this year. They were having both the feast and a costume ball. As I dragged him up the steps I waved my wand. My "Lady of the Snake" costume replaced my pirate costume and Tim's clothes began to change. He changed into a long-sleeved tunic with the Gryffindor crest with black leggings and boots. It was cinched at the waist with a black strip of cloth as a belt and his mask was black with gold and scarlet smoke looking images on it. He stopped and looked down at his clothes. "You were really bored weren't you?" "I had extra time on my hands after I finished my costumes. Decided to make one for you for the ball." "It looks amazing and it fits perfectly and is super comfortable." We walked into the Great Hall me on his arm. The decorations were beautiful. The Hall was shrouded in shadow and the only light came from jack o' lanterns tha lined the walls. The ceiling glittered with the light of the stars. The long tables were gone and replaced by smaller round tables. Each table had a black tablecloth with a overlay of either purple or orange. I had paused in the doorway marveling at how beautiful it was. Tim gently nudged me and we went over to a table along one of the sides. Soon everyone had showed up but no one had wanted to sit at our table. When the Headmaster announced that the feast was to begin, I focused on my plate. For balls whatever food you focused on would appear on your plate. I imagined beef tamales and a sugar skull with rice and beans. When it appeared on my plate Tim looked at me inquisitively. "Why do you Mexican food?" "Our neighbors are from Mexico every year we would go over to their house on Halloween or Día de los Muertos. This is what they make so I have it every Halloween if I can so I feel like I am with them." Tim hadn't yet decided what he wanted so he decided to have the same thing as I had. By the time we finished our food everyone else was done too. We stood up and the teachers flicked their wands and moved the tables to the sides of the room. Tim lead me out to the dance floor and we danced. On about the second slow song I looked up at him and he leaned down and kissed me. When we parted I placed my head against his shoulder. When I looked I saw Allison and her friends in really gaudy princess dresses. "What are you looking at?" I jerked my head very slightly at the girls. Tim looked at them. "I'm going to start walking you places, okay?" he said, with a seriousness I didn't recognize, "Why?" "I know that type of girl. They would do anything to get what they want." "Well that means I should be walking you places." He looked at me, "I know every shortcut. I'll be fine." "Okay, I guess." Even though I felt safe I was really worried about him. If they would harm me what would say that somebody wouldn't harm him, even if he was able to sneak around?


	5. Chapter 5

4.

The late nights I spent were either because of homework or because of Tim. We work in the library because we couldn't work in either of our common rooms. On weekends when the weather was nice we would work outside under one of the trees by the lake. We would finish our homework and then he would hold me and kiss me until we were both exhausted and then we would fall asleep under the trees until supper. I was happy and every letter I sent my mom would be full of things that I had done with Tim and when my mom wrote back it was full of questions and warnings of what not to do. My mom was concerned that my grades would start to slip now that the two of us were together. I was constantly assuring her that my grades weren't slipping. In fact they were rising. When we did homework together when one of us didn't know something or didn't understand it, the other would help and explain it to the other. If neither of us knew it we would go scouring the library for the answer.

It was a Sunday in mid-November and we were in under a tree looking out at the lake.I sat in front of him with his legs on either side of me and leaning back into him. He messed with my hair and every so often planted a kiss on my head. I looked up at him and he leaned down and kissed me. Just then the giant squid surfaced and water splashed out of the lake. We were sitting far enough away from the edge of the lake that we didn't get soaked but still got splashed on a little. Some poor first years were too close and were soaked to the bone. While it was a nice day, it was still pretty chilly. Because we didn't have to wear robes, I had dressed comfortably. I wore a fitted dark green turtleneck with a dove gray, long, thick cardigan over it. I wore tight blue jeans with ankle high gray boots. My hair lay in loose curls around my shoulder and my back. Tim wore work-style boots and loose jeans with a dark red long-sleeved button up shirt with a collar. I laughed at the poor first-years. I had had the same thing happen to me my first year when I was curious about what was in the lake. At least when it happened to me it was at the very beginning of the year so it was relatively warm outside. There was a small Hufflepuff boy who was nearby and had gotten soaked. I beckoned him over, "Hey, you need to get into dry clothes if you don't want to catch your death of cold," I motioned to the other kids who had gotten drenched, "Grab them and go to Madame Trinidad in the infirmary and get her to give you a potion to help fight off any disease." I waved him off and he walked off shivering. I had a warm smile and Tim rubbed my arm. "The old Bri I knew would have just laughed at them with evil in it and then enchanted the water to splash them again." I feigned innocence, "What? Me? Never!" He laughed a planted a kiss on my shoulder. I leaned back into him and sighed, "I think I like this me better." "As long as it is you, I don't care." He said as he slipped his hand along my jaw and pulled my face gently to his. He kissed me deep and I turned around so I was facing him. "Ahem," a voice said quietly from above us. We looked up and there stood Professor Theodore. I smoothed my hair, "Hi Professor," I squeaked. "Mr. Julian and Ms. Alex, a wizard primary private school will be visiting Hogwarts tomorrow and the other teachers and I have decided that you two would make perfect chaperones to take them around the campus." Tim and I looked at each other and had a quick conversation without saying anything, I was the first to speak. "We'll do it Professor. What do you need us to do?" "They will be doing minor help with creating a simple potion and observing some of the other lessons. We need you two to take the group between places, explain what is going on, and answering questions. You will need to make sure that you are dressed in proper school uniform. I have talked with your teachers and they said that they would either use the tour as your credit for the day or give you an alternate assignment. We will have a smaller table set up at the back of the Great Hall for lunch for them. You will need to meet the train at the platform soon after breakfast. I will come and get you when it's time to go down to meet it." Tim looked at the Professor inquisitively, "I hope you don't mind me asking sir, but why are they coming by train?" "Excellent question Mr. Julian. It is going to be two teachers and twenty students under eleven coming, it is by far easier to take the train than trying to do Portkey which is the next best option." He handed us two schedules similar to the schedules we had for classes, "These are your schedules for tomorrow." I scanned it quickly. It looked like an easy thing to do. I had always worked well with kids and I was excited to do this. "Looks good Professor. We'll see you tomorrow." He nodded at the two of us and headed back up to the castle. Tim looked at me, "Now we can get back to what we were doing." he said smiling. I swung my leg over and straddled his hips. I placed my hand on the back of his neck and pulled him close. I kissed him long and deep. He moved himself more upright and wrapped his arms around my waist. He slipped his tongue into my mouth and began to makes his kisses deeper and more passionately. When we finally pulled apart I was out of breath. "I love you serpent girl." I said the words that had scared me for so long, "I love you too lion boy." I hugged him and smiled. He looked at me. You want to go and play a game of wizard chess in the Great Hall. "Sounds like a plan." I said and we raced to the castle. He ran to his room to get his pieces and the board and I ran to my to grab my pieces.

I beat him spectacularly at wizard chess. I was laughing, "How is it that I, a girl from a Muggle family beat you, a boy from a wizarding family." "You cheat, that's how." "Awww, is somebody a poor loser?" He reached over and started tickling me. I pushed his hands away and pulled out my wand and brandished it at him. "I do a mean Bat-Bogey Hex and I will use it." He held up his hands and laughed, "I surrender, you are the master of wizard chess." He leaned over the table and gave me a quick kiss. "It is almost time for dinner so we need to go back to our rooms and get our robes on." We grabbed our stuff and headed to our rooms. When I passed through the common room I saw Allison sitting in one of the large armchairs acting like a queen with her court of girls around her. When I passed they all stopped talking and and looked at me with haughty expressions on their faces. I hurried to get changed and then met Tim in the Entrance Hall. We walked into the Great Hall. We exchanged glances across the tables and shared hidden smiles. I had thought that I would spend all seven years in solitude, an outcast with no friends. I had a boyfriend now and I was happy.


	6. Chapter 6

6.

The next day shined clear and bright. During breakfast the two of us made sure not to get anything on our robes and while we were walking to the train station we straightened our robes. When we got to the platform the train had not yet arrived. Tim pulled me close and we looked over the Hogwarts grounds. Just then we could hear the whistle of the train. We separated and turned towards the tracks. I put on a big grin. The two teachers stepped off the train looking very frazzled and there twenty charges tumbled out behind them. Professor Theodore went and talked to the teachers while Tim and I gathered the kids around us. "Come on guys, gather over here. Now my name is Brianna and this is Timothy. We are going to be taking you guys around the castle today. Now we are going to go around and ask you each your names. We are sorry if are not able to remember all of your names immediately, it should take a little bit." The kids said there names and I tried to remember as many as I could. Professor Theodore came over, "Ms. Alex, Mr. Julian, these are Mrs. Polk and Mrs. Tryem." We shook their hands. "I will meet you in the Potions classroom." said Professor Julian and he walked off towards the castle. I turned back to the group, "Come on gang, we've got class!"

The first place we stopped was Hagrid's hut on the grounds to see Hippogriffs. We taught them out to greet the creatures and the Tim and I got on their back and showed them some of the flying techniques. We then headed inside for Potions and Transfiguration. After that we went to the Great Hall for lunch. All of the kids turned wide-eyed when the food appeared and we had our hands full making sure that they didn't eat themselves sick. After lunch we headed to the Defense Against the Dark Arts room. On our way there we gave them a chance to ask us questions. The first question came from a little girl with braids for me, "Are you the American exchange student?" "Yes I am." Another little girl asked the next question, "Are you two a couple? Don't try to deny it, I saw how you were looking at each other." Tim answered this one laughingly, "Wow you have a lot of spunk and sass. But to answer your question yes, we are together." We had a few more questions and then a scared looking bouy raised his hand, "Does the Sorting hurt?" I answered this with a smile, "Not at all, trust me I was worried too." He asked another question, "Did the Hat talk to you?" Tim answered first, "Nope, it sorted me almost instantly, "I was quite for enough time that he asked me again, "Did it talk to you?" I answered slowly, "I didn't just talk to it, I argued with it." "Why?" "I had read _Hogwarts, a History_ before we got to school. I was convinced that because of my gang ties, I was a Slytherin. In fact the Hat dismissed Slytherin almost immediately, thinking I was a better fit for Gryffindor of Ravenclaw. I argued with the Hat for over ten minutes to put me in Slytherin and finally let me win. I still wonder why he let me win." We just then got to the classroom. When the students were seated and were listening to the lesson, Tim came over to me in the back, "You never told me that." "I was so convinced until this year that I had made the right call, but for the past few months I haven't been so sure. I was still figuring out out how to interpret it." He gave me a quick kiss and moved back to where he had been standing. I thought about the task ahead. Tim and I were going to demonstrate how to battle a boggart. We had battled one in third-year so I was fairly certain what it would become. The boggart would take the form of Luke and Amanda covered in tattoos with guns in holsters and dressed in the standard outfit of the gangbangers from our area. The way to change it was to put them in panda onesies. It never failed to make me laugh.

The lesson ended soon and we went into one of the empty classrooms where a large trunk sat, rattling. Tim went first, and he opened the trunk. The boggart lept out and turned into a giant fire-breathing dragon. With a swish of his wand and a cry of "Riddikulus!" the dragon turned pink and the fire turned into glitter. Professor Kidron stepped up next and a zombie appeared. When he shouted "Riddikulus!" The zombies limbs started falling off. I stepped up next, prepared for the twins, but they didn't appear. The boggart changed into Tim. The boggart Tim started speaking, "Why would I want to be with you? What would I want with an alley rat? Why would a Slytherin ever love a Gryffindor? All you ever wanted was my money." I collapsed and the real Tim ran over to me. The Professor quickly stepped between me and the boggart and forced it back into the trunk. Tim held me as I sobbed. Professor Kidron led the class out of the room, probably to finish the tour. "Hey, hey. It's okay. I'm right here and I'm not going anywhere." I sobbed heavily for about five minutes and finally stopped crying and sat up. He wiped a tear off my cheek and kept his hand on my cheek. "What happened there? You were completely unprepared for that boggart." I hiccuped a little, "That wasn't what I expected my boggart to be. I guess my boggart changed and I forgot it would do that when my biggest fear changed." "Look me in the eye when I tell you this. I love you for who you are. I know you don't want my money, I've seen how you act. You are the best thing that has happened to me in a long time. I love you Brianna." I placed my hand over his on my cheek, "I love you too, Tim." He pulled me into a hug and I felt a little bit better. I leaned back and grinning evilly I asked a question, "The next time I battle a boggart and it turns into you, can I make it be in a dress?" Tim looked stunned for a minute and then began to laugh, "Sure, anything to make you laugh. Come here." he said holding his arms out. I hugged him and felt at peace again.


	7. Chapter 7

7.

After a couple of nights with little to no sleep we had almost all of our winter term exams done. We would be taking our Care of Magical Creatures and Ancient Runes exams in the week before we went on vacation. A Hogsmeade trip was scheduled for the weekend before that final week. I had not yet figured out what I was going to get Tim for Christmas. I didn't want to just buy something and I wanted at least some part for me to make or enchant. I also wanted to get him some candy from Honeydukes, Tim had a big sweet tooth. Tim and I agreed we both needed a break from the studying to help get us ready for the last two exams. Tim was also going to help me pick out gifts for my family that wouldn't attract much attention in the Muggle world.

I met Tim in the Great Hall that morning dressed very warmly. We had already had the first snow of the year and the grounds were sparkling white. I wore thick jeans, fur-lined boot, with a emerald green turtleneck and warm gray coat. I had as Slytherin scarf and a knit hat and gloves that matched the color of my turtleneck. Tim bounded down the stairs and came up to me. "Hey beautiful," he kissed me and I smiled. I grabbed his hand and pulled him out of the castle. He dragged his feet until I slowed down. He put his arm around my waist and I snuggled in close. By the time we got to Hogsmeade we were shivering. We quickly stepped into The Three Broomsticks to get hot chocolate in to go cups. We started in Honeydukes. Candy was one of the things that probably wouldn't arouse much suspicion. We picked out out Bertie Bott's Every Flavour Beans for my brothers and Sugar Quills for my sister. We went to the clothing store in town and found a scarf that had swirls of the house colors in it. We were able to find beautiful wrapping paper that was black with sparkly gold and silver stars on it. Tim carried all of our shopping (He had gotten gifts for his family too) and we went back to The Three Broomsticks for a Butterbeer. When we had finished I gave Tim a kiss, "I want to spend a little more time here. Why don't you head back to the castle?" "Okay. Be safe." He kissed me again and I watched him head back to the castle. I had already done an enchantment on a picture frame so that it switched between different images of the two of us. I wanted to get him some chocolate frogs and pepper imps to go along with it. I headed back to the castle and was almost there when Allison and her gang suddenly moved in front of me and stopped me. "Well, well, well. What do we have here girls? I know what it is, it is a money hungry street rat." "Bug off Allison. I don't want any trouble." "What is that rat? You lost that right when you stole my man." "He was never your man Allison. He actually kind of hated you." "Well maybe he'll thank me, for opening his eyes to how dirty and money hungry you are." The circled me and started beating on me. He punched me in the nose and blood started dripping out of it. I don't know why, but I didn't fight back. I could feel bruises blossoming on my skin as I tried to curl up on the ground and then there was a large 'pop!' I nearly screamed because of how much it hurt. I was pretty sure my shoulder was dislocated. The beatings suddenly stopped and when I looked up the girls were running back to the castle. I stood up using my one good arm for support and then cradled my injured arm with my good one. I walked slowly back to the castle with blood from my nose making scarlet drops as I walked. It was getting harder to breathe the farther I walked. I was able to get all the way to the infirmary. Madame Trinidad came bustling in and nearly dropped what she was carrying when she saw me. "Oh dear! Give me a minute to contact the Headmaster and the heads of of your houses and then we will get you fixed right up." " _Our_ heads of houses?" I asked shakily but she had already left the room and gone to her office. I stumbled over to the only bed that had the curtains drawn around it and pulled them aside. I almost started crying when I saw who was lying there. It was Tim and he looked like he had been beat up too. He had a black eye that was steadily darkening and had a split lip along with bruises. All of a sudden he seized up gritting his teeth, probably to stop from screaming. I looked over at Madame Trinidad, "What is happening to him?" "He had fractures in his pelvis and I thought it was safer to use a potion to repair his pelvis than try to use a spell. He is in a lot of pain from his injuries and the repair is extreme." The Headmaster and Professors Kidron and Milton burst into the room just as my vision blurred and I collapsed by Tim's bed.

I was still a little groggy when I woke. I was now in pajamas and was lying in the bed next to Tim's. I looked over at him and realized he was looking at me. "Hey you," he said quietly and slightly hoarse. "Hey yourself, how's your pelvis?" "Hurts like hell but I'm not seizing anymore. How's your shoulder?" I just now realized that my arm that had been dislocated was now in a sling, "Still hurts a little bit but I can tell it is back in its socket." At that moment Madame Trinidad came up to our beds. "Good, both of you are awake. The Headmaster and the Professors have some questions for you." she bustled off and they came in. Tim and I pushed ourselves to sitting positions. Headmaster Diton spoke first, "Do you know who did this to you?" Tim spoke first, "Some Gryffindor boys, half of our Quidditch team," he then rattled off the names. I then spoke, "Slytherin girls, Allison and her gang," and then rattled off my own list of names. The Professors nodded and left the room. "They will be dealing with punishment and trust me, their punishments will not be light. I was, however, afraid something like this would happen sooner or later." "What?" I asked. "The first year that you and your counterpart in England were at the schools it didn't go to well. Both of you were not fitting in and having a hard time adjusting to the different culture. But I persuaded both MACUSA and the Ministry of Magic to keep you two at the schools for at least another year. At the end of that second year your British counterpart had fit in. He had friends and was happy. But you still were an outcast. I chose to persuade them to keep you at both the schools until both of you graduated. I hoped, deep down, that you would find friends. At the end of every year I wondered if I had made the right decision but I kept you here. When I started seeing you and Tim together I felt like I had made the right call. But when I started seeing the looks that were being thrown your way by members of both of your houses. I hoped that that was all it would go to but I guess that deep down I didn't even believe that. I did not think that they would go to such extremes. For that I am sorry." The Headmaster sighed and sat down in a chair between our beds and looked much older than he really was. I leaned over and placed my good hand on his knee and smiled, "It's not your fault. You couldn't have guessed what they would have done or when they would have done it. You do so much for this school. If you had told me any year before this that you were the one that kept me here, I would have hated you. Now that I know, it makes me happy." The Headmaster smiled and patted my hand, "We found the shopping you had dropped when you were attacked and wrapped it and sent it off to who it belonged to. Madame Trinidad wants you to stay here for the night and then you can go back to the dorms. I should leave you two to rest before Madame Trinidad bites my head off." he left the room and the door closed behind him. I realized that I was falling asleep where I sat. I lay down, "Good night lion boy." "Good night snake girl."


	8. Chapter 8

8.

We were released from the infirmary the next afternoon. I would need to keep my arm in the sling until at least Tuesday and Tim needed to lay down every so often to give his pelvis more time to strengthen. We were supposed to go back to the infirmary if we needed ice for any of our bruises or ointment for our cuts. We both went to our dorm rooms because the clothes we were wearing were from the day before. We agreed to meet back down in the Great Hall in an hour so that we also had enough time to bathe. When I got to the common room some of the first years came over. I tutored many of them and helped keep them on track and helped with some personal problems they might have. The girls wrapped their arms around my waist and looked up at me with grins. I knelt down and hugged them back, drawing in the boys too. "Hey guys, let me take a quick shower and change and then I will be right back down, okay?" The kids nodded and went back to the chairs around the fire. I went to my room. I could feel every muscle in my body ache. I got into the shower and just stood there with the hot water running on my skin. When I finally got out I put on black sweatpants, a long-sleeved shirt and crotched looking warm boots. My siblings had pitched in to get me this shirt a few years ago for Christmas. It had a cartoon witch on a broomstick on it and it always made me laugh, besides the fact that it was super warm. My arms hurt to much to lift to brush or do my hair but the younger girls loved doing it. I grabbed my hairbrush and some hair ties and headed back to the common room.

I settled down in front of one of the chairs and one of the girls, Chloe, sat down on the chair and started brushing my hair. Chloe and I had connected a lot. Her mom was raising her and her brothers and sisters by herself on a very small salary. Chloe knew what it was like to grow up without much and I helped her by tutoring her. We had become really good friends. She used to help her mom get her sisters ready for school so she was amazing at doing hair and like trying to do new things. While most girls did their hair with magic, Chloe still prefered to use her hands. When I first met her at the beginning of the year, she was overwhelmed with stress and I encouraged her to find something to relieve her stress. She chose doing hair because it was something that bridged both worlds. I looked around at the other kids that I tutored. They were sweet kids, gentle as could be. Many people thought that all Slytherins were evil but evil isn't one of the traits that defines a Slytherin. Cunning and clever however was definitely Slytherin traits. These kids all came from broken and poor families and had needed their cunning and cleverness just to survive. They were amazing pickpockets and had come up with foolproof ways to steal from right under people's nose. I had actually met about half of them when they tried to do just that to me. Being a thief myself I had immediately noticed. I started being their den mother, therapist, and tutor all wrapped in one. I felt at peace with them around me. I suddenly remembered Tim. I tapped the arm of one of the boys who was sitting in the armchair next to me. "Ben, can you head up to the Great Hall and get my boyfriend and bring him down here? Tell him that he can come lie down in front of the fire." "What does your boyfriend look like?" "He should look beat up just like me. He has a black eye and may be walking or standing funny because his pelvis is still healing." Ben nodded and ran off. Chloe wrapped the hair ties around the end of my braid. She had done two dutch-style braids that started at my part and came down the edge of my scalp and at the base they combined into one braid down my back. It was super comfortable and kept my hair out of my face. I leaned back against the chair and sighed.

Just then the door swung open and Ben and Tim came back. Tim looked better and was dressed similarly to me in loose sweatpants, dark red sweater, and thick woolen socks. I stretched my legs out and he settled himself in between them and I started messing with his hair. We stayed quiet for a while before Ben spoke up, "What happened to you guys? There were rumors but no one really knew what had happened." I explained what had happened to me first. Tim listened attentively since this would be the first time either of us heard what happened to the other. When I was done Tim told his story. He had been closer to the castle when they boys had surprised him. He was trying to protect himself as he backed up and they kept beating on him until they pushed him onto a short wall which had caused him to fracture his pelvis. When that happened he let out a blood-curdling scream which Hagrid heard and came over to push the boys away and carried Tim up to the infirmary. We were all silent for a second and then I kissed him and we didn't let go for a long time. I sighed and my eyelids started to droop. "I think we both need rest before the exams and classes this week. I'll head back to my room and you should head upstairs." I kissed him again, gently this time and stood up. I helped him to his feet and walked him to the door of the common room. After another brief kiss, he left and let the door shut behind him. I walked up to my room and fell into bed and was asleep before my head hit the pillow.


	9. Chapter 9

9.

The week was pretty uneventful. I was the only one in my room and three days into the last week of term our heads called us to the headmaster's office and they explained that the kids who had attacked us had been sent home early and they had actually brought their parents to the school and had explained what had happened. They had also explained the punishments that they were being given and they explained these punishments to us also. All of the kids would have detention three nights a week next term and for our seventh year they would have detention two nights a week all year. All of the parents agreed to these punishments apparently despite loud protests by some of the students (probably Allison). The next day I knocked on the office door of Professor Theodore, "Come in," he said, not looking up from the essay he was grading. I sat on one of the chairs in front of his desk and waited for him to put a last comment on the paper. He placed the parchment and his grading quill aside, "What can I do for you Briana? Are you doing okay?" "I'm doing fine Professor, thanks for asking. I more had a question. I've heard we are the only house that doesn't decorate for the holidays. The entire castle is getting decorated and some of the first years want us to decorate too. So can we?" I asked hopefully. He smiled and started to laugh and I looked at him quizzically. "Of course, you guys can decorate the common room. You are the first person in probably a hundred years to actually ask. While you are at it if you want you can update the common room too." "Thanks Professor!" I said enthusiastically as I jumped up from my chair. I ran from the office to the common room and let Tim in. I ushered all of the other students to stand by the entrances to the dorms.

Tim and I stood back to back in the center of the room and we waved our wands directing things to happen. The stone walls were clean and sparkling and the wood was polished. The skulls in the room were whisked into boxes and the color of the wood furniture changed from a black wood to a beautiful mahogany. The chairs and sofas were restuffed and the old green silk covering the cushions turned to a beautiful velvet. Silver torches and torch holders appeared at constant intervals on the walls emitting a bright, warming light that made the green light from the lake almost nonexistent. The walls also now had large dark green snakes with silver designs painted on them and the Slytherin crest was above the fireplace which had been cleaned and was crackling to the same light as the torches. After this our wands produced boxes of Christmas decorations and a large tree. Tim and I had thought of this as a way for our house to sort of bond. When we did our spells we were sure to also include the dorm rooms in our update and we decorated those with magic. When the kids saw everything, half of them squealed and they all ran toward the boxes. Tim helped some of the kids with the tree while I helped the others with some more of the decorations. We strung silver tinsel between the torches and hung wreaths decorated with silver ribbon on the walls. Tim used a spell to lift Ben up to put the silver star with green stones on top of the tree. Some kids were putting silver tinsel on the tree and others were hanging silver ornaments on it. The ornaments were shaped like the castle, mythical creatures, names of spells, wands and serpents. It took us about an hour to get it all done and just as we were finishing up Professor Theodore and the Headmaster stepped into the room and clapped. We all turned with huge smiles on our faces. The Headmaster spoke, "Amazing bit of magic you two did Ms. Alex and Mr. Julian. I appreciate that you kept the fundamental ideas of the old Slytherin common room but made it a place of family and community instead of despair and dark power. It is also quite beautiful and elegant and now I think this deserves a celebration." With a wave of his wand the newly polished tables were overflowing with candy, holiday cookies, and hot Butterbeer. I looked around at the other kids and they ran into the dorms to grab the rest of our house.

The party lasted far into the night and all through the night Tim and I were approached by a lot of kids who were congratulating the new decor and decorations. A couple of them were even kids who were stereotypical Slytherins. Professor Theodore eventually came in at about one in the morning explaining that we still had a day left of term and at least a quarter of us had an exam tomorrow and needed our sleep. I helped usher the younger kids, yawning, to bed and even woke a few up from in front of the fire. Tim and I were the last to leave, cleaning up after everybody. Tim gave me a kiss and left the room. I looked around and was amazed at how much better the common room looked and how we could be proud of the step our house took toward the future.

The last day of term went smoothly and that night Tim and I helped the kids I tutored pack up. He took the boys and I took the girls and at the end of two hours we had gotten all ten of them packed up. WE met out in the common room and I snuggled up next to Tim. Chloe poked me, "Don't you two need to pack too?" I smiled and placed my hand over hers, "We stay at Hogwarts over the holidays. I can't go back to the States and Tim's parents are in the States so he can't go there either. It's okay though, we can just end up pranking people and eating pastries and candies." Tim kissed me on the neck, "Maybe we'll do more than that," he murmured. I giggled and turned to kiss him on the forehead. Just then Chloe let out a huge yawn and the rest of the gang soon followed suit. "Come on guys, head to bed. You want to be well rested for your families tomorrow." I gave them all hugs and promised to go down to the platform and see them off. Since our group was the last left in the common room it ended up just being me and Tim. "A little time to ourselves isn't that bad right?" he said as he kissed my neck. "No it isn't," I replied as I met his lips. I leaned back so I was laying on the couch and he kept kissing me. His tongue slid over mine and I ran my thumbs over his cheekbones. He moved his hands next to my head so he was holding himself up. I wrapped my leg around his and maneuvered so that he was now on the bottom. After kissing for about an hour we fell asleep with me curled up on top of him. At about 3 in the morning I felt someone tapping me on the shoulder. I looked up and realized Chloe was standing there. "Better have him sneak back to Gryffindor tower before everybody wakes up," she whispered and then pattered back to the entrance to the dorms. I nudged Tim awake and once he was coherent I sent him on his way. I stumbled up to my dorm room and fell asleep on top of my covers without even changing.


	10. Chapter 10

10.

It took us almost 15 minutes to get the kids and their trunks gathered in the common room. Ben had to go back three times to retrieve presents he had hidden for his family. Once all of the kids were put together, Tim and I divided the trunks into two equal piles. We each stood in front of a pile and spoke the spell simultaneously, " _Locomotor Trunks!_ ". The two piles levitated and the kids gathered around us as we led them out of the common room with the trunks flying in front of us. We walked across the grounds together and then we helped the kids get their trunks into a compartment that all of them were sharing and Tim stood with his arm around me as we waved the train off from the platform. We hurried back to the castle because it was freezing and the wind made it even more so. "I'm hungry." I said when we reached the Entrance Hall. "We ate an hour ago, how can you still be hungry?" "I'm starving Tim," as I dragged him off towards the entrance to the kitchens.

When we got down there the house elves gathered around us and we left with large breakfast burritos filled with eggs, hash browns, sausage, bacon, and cheese. They also gave me a box filled with huge chocolate chip muffins. We found an empty corridor on the third floor and ate our burritos there. I tore through mine ad Tim ate his slowly and when he finished he rested his head against the wall and groaned, "Why did I eat all of that?" I pulled the box over to me and stood up, offering Tim my hand, "We haven't gone and seen Hagrid in a while, let's head down there now," He groaned, "Can't we wait? I am so full, I don't think I can move." I pulled him to his feet, "You will feel better after taking a walk. Come on you lazy bum," I got tired of how slow he was walking so I ended up running ahead to Hagrid's cabin. I knocked on the door, "Hagrid, Hagrid! Let me in! It's cold!" I heard scratching on the door and Hagrid's voice shouting, "Down Fang, Down!" He opened the door with a huge smile on his face, "Brianna! Where've you been?!" "Hey Hagrid, sorry I haven't come by, lots of schoolwork. Can I come in? Tim is somewhere behind me, he couldn't walk as fast as I wanted him to after I dragged him down for second breakfast. I brought chocolate chip muffins," I said raising up the box. He moved from the doorway and I came in shivering. I sat down in the chair closest to the fire and placed the box on the table. Hagrid opened the box and pulled out a muffin. He peeled off the wrapper and took a huge bite. Fang placed his head in my lap and I stroked it absentmindedly. I grabbed a muffin myself. Hagrid looked over at me with muffin crumbs in his beard, "How much have you eaten today?" I put my muffin back down on the table and started counting on my fingers, "Five pancakes, three slices of bacon, and two servings of eggs at breakfast and a large breakfast burrito before I came here. Oh, and this muffin now." I grinned and reached back for my muffin. Just as I took my first bite the door slammed open and Tim was standing in the doorway. He looked at me and his eyes opened wide, "How are you still hungry? I am still stuffed." He shut the door behind him and collapsed into the chair next to me, "Hey Hagrid, how've you been?" "I'm doing just fine Tim. You trying to eat as much as Brianna now?" "I tried and just made a huge mistake," he groaned and I laughed. I then settled down to eat my muffin. We all sat in silence for a few minutas and then Hagrid spoke up, "You guys doing okay, I mean after the attack last weekend?" I smiled slightly, "A little sore but otherwise fine. The people who attacked us get detention for the rest of their school lives. By the way though, if you ever take any of the girls into the forest can you try scaring them for me?" Hagrid let out a large, hearty laugh, "I'll see what I can do." We talked for a while and ended up staying for a lunch of stew. After we both finished eating, Tim and I headed back to the castle. We decided to go to the library to read. I grabbed Tales of Beedle the Bard and Tim grabbed Quidditch Through The Ages and we flopped onto the floor in front of the fireplace. I loved the stories because they were so different from the fairy tales of America. I sat down crossed legged and Tim lay down with his head in my lap. I held the book in one hand and played with his hair with the other. I loved this book but and I was comfortable. It was warm and my head began to droop. Right before my eyes closed and I fell asleep, I heard Tim snoring in my lap. I woke up to Tim shaking me and we stumbled down to dinner while rubbing the sleep out of our eyes. After dinner I stumbled to my room. I fell asleep almost immediately.

I woke up the next morning to the light glinting off of the ornaments. I jumped out of bed, wrapped a fluffy green and red robe around me, and ran to Gryffindor tower. I only paused to tell the password to the Fat Lady portrait and ran all the way to the dorm room that Tim was in. I pulled open the bed curtains and jumped onto Tim's bed. "It's Christmas Eve! It's Christmas Eve!" I shouted as I jumped up and down on the bed. Tim scrambled awake and was able to roll out of bed before I squashed him. He rubbed sleep out of his eyes and grabbed his own dark red and gold dressing gown to keep him warm. He grabbed my wrist as I turned and moved his hands to my hips to stop me from bouncing. He lifted me up off the bed and down onto the floor. He kept his hands on my hips and looked down at me with a smile glinting on his lips, "A little excited are we?" "Maybe a little," I replied as I slipped my arms around his neck and smiled. He leaned down and kissed me and we fell back down onto his bed. We kissed for a while and fell asleep in each other's arms. We slept for another hour before I sneaked back to my room to get changed. We met at breakfast and Tim marveled at how much food I was able to put away. I demolished an entire stack of pancakes smothered in butter and maple syrup and a platter of spicy sausage patties. We then hurried outside to sled and ice skate. After a quick lunch we had a snowball fight with some of the other kids who were left in the castle. We came back in and sat down for a dinner of thick stew and bread. I could barely fall asleep when I finally went down to bed.


End file.
